Slack take-up for pendant electric lights.



I J. MAITLAND. SLACK TAKE-UP FOR PENDANT ELECTRIC LIGHTS. APPLICATIONFILED MAR. 29, 1909.

Patented June 15; 1909.

dofie tesses fiat/ 67%? 07cm mazhma; WW 5 M rue: mmms PETERS ca..wnsninmrly. n c.

JOHN MAITLAND, or swAMPscorr, MiissAonUsnrrs.v

SLACK Specification of Letters Patent.

TAKE-U1 FOR PENDANT nLEo'r rc LIGHTS.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Application filed March 29, 1909. Serial No. 486,327.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MAITLAND, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Swampscott, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Slack Take Ups for Pendant Electric Lights,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representinglike arts.

This invention ms for its object the production of a simple ande'li'ective device for taking up the slack wire in pendent electriclights where it is necessary or desirable to raise or lower the heightof the light from time to time.

A very common mode of taking up such slack is to form a bend and looseknot in the wire, but this is objectionable, as it strains the wires andis a ready way to injure the insulation and is also very unsightly.Devices for taking up the slack have been made in the form of ballshaving holes through which the wires ass and are held frictionally, butit is di'fhcu t to pass the wires through the holes in the firstinstance, and too, the insulation is quite frequently worn oil whenadjusting the length of the wire for a change in the height of thelight.

My improved slack take up is so con structed that it can be instantlyapplied to or removed from the suspending wire, without the employmentof skilled labor, and adjustment of the light can be made quickly andeasily without any danger of stripping or injuring the insulation, whilethe device is very simple and cheap to make.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described inthe subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in thefollowing claims.

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a )endent electric light with a slacktake-up em odying one form of my invention a plied thereto; Fig. 2 is anenlarged side e evation of the take-up device shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isan end view of the take-u device; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail thereoion the line 44, Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, L represents an electric light and its shade, ofordinary construction, suspended by the usual overhead insulated wire W,which in practice is secured at its upper end by a rosette or similardevice (not shown) to the ceiling or other sup )ort. When it is desiredto raise or lower the ight the suspending wire must be taken up or letout, and acco'rdingly'the wire in practice is made as long as the lowestposition of the light requires, so that when it is elevated the slack ofthe wire must be taken care of. This slack wire is taken up and held asrequired by a novel slack take-up forming my present invention, and nowto be described.

In the present embodiment of the'invention I provide anelongated'carrier I, preferably of wood or other suitable non-conductingmaterial, and on eachend thereof I a wire-engaging or gripping member.Each member is herein shown as composed of two jaws 2, 3, cut away ontheir inner faces to leave overlapping shoulders 4, 5, see Fig. 4, whichare pivotally connected by a headed ipin or stud 6 which is extendedinto and xed in the end of the carrier.

The engaging ends of the jaws are recessed as at 7, Fig. 3, to embracethe wire VJ, and their opposite or free ends diverge, and are normallyseparated by a suitable spring 8 interposed between them.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the gripping membersextend laterally from the carrier, the engaging ends of the two pairs ofjaws being located one above the other, at one and the. same side of thecarrier.

To apply the take-up to the wire the free ends of the jaws arecompressed by the fingers, thereby opening the engaging ends of the jawsand permitting the wire N to enter the recess or socket 7, after whichthe free ends of the jaws are released and the spring 8 causes the jawsto firmly yet yieldingly engage and hold the wire. By slightlyslackening one or the other gripping members the wire can be drawnthrough to take up the proper amount of slack, the bight or loop W ofslack wire being sustained between the two gripping members, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

It will be manifest that the adjustment of the slack can be made quicklyand easily and such slack is firmly held when the adjustment is made,and the device can be instantly applied or removed by any one, withoutany danger to the insulation of the wire and without the use of tools.

The device is simple in structure,

light in weight, and it can be constructed at a very low cost, and invarious forms without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention as set forth in the annexed claims.

mount Having fully described my invention, what claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. A slack take-up for pendant electriclights, comprising a carrier, and gripping members mounted on andlaterally extended from the opposite ends of the carrier, each memberhaving separable, yieldingly-controlled aws, said gripping members toengage the suspending wire at two points and sustain between them thebight or loop of slack wire.

2. A slack take-up for pendant electric lights, comprising an elongatedcarrier, and spring-actuated gripping members mounted on the oppositeends of and extended laterally from the carrier, to yieldingly engagethe suspending wire at separated points and sustain between them theloop of slack wire.

3. A slack take-up for pendant electric lights, comprising an elongatedcarrier, and

I r f I a gripping member mounted on each end of the carrier andextended laterally therefrom, each member comprising twopiv0tallyc0nnected wire-engaging jaws and a spring to normally close thejaws.

4. A slack take-up for pendant electric lights, comprising an elongatedcarrier, a pair of pivoted wire-engaging jaws mounted on each end of thecarrier and. extended laterally therefrom, the free ends of the jawsbeing manually compressible to effect opening of the jaws, and a springinterposed be tween the free ends to normally maintain closed theengaging ends of said jaws.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN MAITLAND. l Vitnesses JOHN C. EDwARDs, THOMAS J. DRUMMONI).

